The first known Chinese American film, "The Curse of Quon Gwon," (c. 1916) will be showing in Oakland this Saturday. The film was rediscovered by documentary filmmaker Arthur Dong while doing research for his film, "Hollywood Chinese," which includes a snippet of the original film.
The film was made around 1916 by Marion Wong, a Chinese American woman who lived in Oakland. It features her family members, with sister-in-law Violet Wong as the lead. I interviewed Violet Wong's daughter earlier this year for an article, and she told me that her mother hardly mentioned this historic project to her children when they were growing up. Violet Wong later started a popular restaurant in El Cerrito, CA and became known more for that than her foray into silent film.
When the family handed over the old film reels to Arthur Dong, it was actually quite a process to get it to the right place and condition. For example, nitrate reels are seen as an explosive and have to be handled carefully. The Academy Film Archive restored the reels to almost "pristine condition," especially considering they are almost 100 years old.
Being able to see the refurbished film will be quite a treat. This isn't the first time it's been screened; it was shown at the Oakland Museum of California last year as part of the Asian American film festival here, and earlier this year at several screenings of "Hollywood Chinese" at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. The film is about 35 minutes long.
Because the director and actors are no longer around, the film and old news articles is basically what's left of the story behind the first Chinese American film.
The free screening is 2-5:30 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park in the Fruitvale district of Oakland. Seating for the two showings is limited. There will also be Cantonese Opera, and the film will be accompanied by a live orchestra with English subtitles. Call 510-532-9142 to reserve a seat.
This blog entry is graciously sponsored by Toyota Matrix. Check out their website dedicated to the best in Asian American film.
Posted by momo at September 8, 2008 10:50 AM
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